Obsidian & Ivory

Welcome to the Second City

Chapter 3: Loyalty

14th day of the month of the Rat, 1204 IC

Following their meeting with the governor, the group finds themselves stuck waiting for certain seeds to bear fruit. There are a number of paths they could pursue, but all bear a heavier cost than may be worthwhile. The situation calls for patience, but patience doesn’t necessarily mean idleness:

The Yoriki seek out Seppun Mukuro, their magistrate superior, in order to request another task to fulfill.

Chapter 2: Opening Moves

13th day of the month of the Rat, 1204 IC

The Yoriki have scheduled an official introductory meeting with the governor of the city, but it’s not until the 15th. In the interim, the group disperses to pursue their own personal agendas for the intervening day and a half, but the meeting looms large in their mind. The governor is, by all appearances, just making the best of the hand he has been dealt.

But every children’s story says that appearances are the paints on a Scorpion’s brush. What is the group truly walking into, and what information will they give in exchange for the information they get?

From the Desk of Seppun Mukuro

The honorable Ivory Magistrate Seppun Mukuro tasked his loyal servants Mirumoto Hansho, Kaiu Isoshi, and Shiba Tankyu-Sha with finding out what was behind the disappearances and deaths of several heimin and natives. To this end we employed the services of Iuchi Shota as a guide to the city and Asako Sen for spiritual guidance.

We began the investigation by scouring the scene of each of the murders or the homes of the disappeared. Much of the evidence pointed towards a local version of a vengeful ghost, but there were hints scattered throughout indicating there was more going on.

One of the disappeared was a small-time merchant, upon the discovery of a number of the old Ivory Kingdom’s coins we staged a ruse to flush out the culprits. We fanned the flame of the rumor the locals and heimin had already latched onto, that there was a vengeful spirit on the loose, and that we had discovered it’s ties to the world and would destroy them.

That night, while camped inside the house, we were assailed by at least five well-armed thugs. We quickly put down one of them and captured another three, though the last managed to escape. The three prisoners were brought before the torturers.

Preliminary indications from the torturers suggested a mediocre-sized bandit camp in a few miles into the jungle, we decided to act before receiving the confessions, as it seemed things were somewhat time-sensitive. Unfortunately we waited too long, and the camp had been abandoned, with trails leading in various directions, but much was left in their rush to break camp. They will not likely be a threat in the foreseeable future.

Chapter 2: Opening Moves

12th day of the month of the Rat, 1204 IC

Having spent a full day gathering information throughout the city, the group has a much more solid command of the movers and shakers operating in Twin Forks City. Some of the information obtained was expected, some of it disturbing, and some of it merely surprising – however, none of it constitutes grounds for invoking the office of the Ivory Magistrate. At least, not without witness testimony against the men truly responsible…

The group has agreed to meet at a neutral (and discreet) location to discuss their findings and what path they intend to take forward.

Chapter 2: Opening Moves

Very quietly, the group has divided the 3 major players in Twin Forks between the 3 yoriki. Each has a plan to gather information on 1 operation, and begin making plans on how to move forward:

Shiba Tankyū-sha has volunteered to get close to Daidoji Otemi. While the group isn’t aware of him committing any crimes in the eyes of the law, his flagrant abuse of his station is casting a dark shadow over much of Twin Forks City,

Kaiu Isoshi is stepping up to look into the dealings of the city governor, Yogo Tamani. The group knows very little about the Scorpion, aside from the fact that he is seemingly content with the status quo. Perhaps a coup is necessary, to bring justice back to the city?

Mirumoto Hansho has taken on the task of connecting the myriad dots that eventually lead to Yoritomo Chyuu. His operation is the largest of the three by far, and he has proven too adept at using patsies and middle-men for the city guard to accuse him of any wrong-doing at all. In fact, the group suspects him of being responsible for an attempt on their own lives already…

Chapter 2: Opening Moves

10th day of the month of the Rat, 1204 IC

The Jungle Tigers have been forced to go to ground, for now. Knowing their agents wouldn’t be able to hold up under torture, they left in a significant hurry – leaving behind a number of potentially useful clues in the process. Deciphering their code will take time (and an understanding of the native language), but — for the moment — the magistrates have completed their assignment. A full report is expected shortly, but the disappearances aren’t likely to continue.

This leaves the group with a number of options for how they would like to proceed. Do they tend to personal matters for awhile? Introduce themselves to the governor? Begin the process of undermining one of the established factions?

Chapter 1: Paradoxes of Honor

8th day of the month of the Rat, 1204 IC

It’s official: The native vengeful spirit has been found, and will soon be soothed with the purification (and destruction) of a hut on the outskirts of town.

Meanwhile, the magistrates quietly arrested a number of bandits very late last night, and has submitted them to interrogation. With nothing immediately pressing, the group faces the choice to either sleep in or attempt to press on with the fatigue of the stakeout weighing them down.

Chapter 1: Paradoxes of Honor

7th day of the month of the Rat, 1204 IC

Despite none of the yoriki being shugenja, they have proven remarkably resourceful in piercing to the heart of the mystery of the “vengeful spirit” that has been claiming victims in Twin Forks City. The growing uncertainty amongst the town’s commoners has been checked, but the matter hasn’t been completely put to rest. The group has found several significant clues, but have yet to put together the pieces that ultimately explain who is responsible for these acts, and why.

The sun sets on the second day of investigation, but there are still productive hours to be spent before the city goes to sleep…

Chapter 1: Paradoxes of Honor

7th day of the month of the Rat, 1204 IC

The first day of official duties has made it pretty clear that the yoriki of Twin Forks City don’t get much time to idle – the larger issues that the group had hoped to tackle have been temporarily set aside to investigate more immediate concerns.

Who (or what) is behind this string of disappearances and murders? Are the murders and disappearances actually related, as all the witnesses seem to believe? How long before another victim is claimed?

Yesterday definitely brought more questions than answers, but the group comes into the new day with a number of leads to follow. The investigation continues…

Chapter 1: Paradoxes of Honor

6th day of the month of the Rat, 1204 IC

A month and a half have passed since the end of the last adventure. The court’s attention quickly turned to less… dusty pursuits, but not before the group caught the attentions of the Ivory Champion. Disregarding propriety, he sought to use his position to draft you all into the ranks of the Ivory Magistrates. In spite of existing duties and limited resources, the ambassadors were hard-pressed to deny the highest-ranking Imperial representative in the Colonies.

When the negotiations were finally settled, Shimabara is the only one who doesn’t seem to have been personally affected. The bushi of the group have been recruited, the shugenja were shuffled out of sight, and – as fate would have it – they’ve both ended up in the same place, at least for now.

The group has made its return to Twin Forks City, where the newly promoted yoriki are to report to the office of Seppun Mukuro for their first assignment.